As the bell rang for the final lap of the women’s 1500 meters at the U.S. Championships, ldquo;My first reaction was I was worried that one of my teeth was knocked out,” she said.
But before she could accelerate, she hit the ground—hard—slamming her chin on the red rubber track at Hayward Field.
Shell-shocked, Schlachtenhaufen watched as the field pulled away from her, dashing her hopes of qualifying for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Schlachtenhaufen had tumbled head-first over Riley Chamberlain, after Chamberlain’s legs got tangled up with the crowded lead pack. The pace from the gun was slow, and the group of 12 women was four-wide heading into the final 400 meters—conditions ripe for a fall.
“One moment [I] was running and then the next moment was on the ground,” Schlachtenhaufen said after Saturday’s race.
She initially couldn’t feel her mouth when she realized what happened.
“My first reaction was I was worried that one of my teeth was knocked out,” she said.
Luckily, they were all in place. Medical staff tended to Schlachtenhaufen immediately. She ultimately walked off the track with some gnarly road rash on the bridge of her nose, upper lip, and chin. She also had a bandage on the inside of her right groin, but she said the injuries were mostly surface-level.
“Fortunately, I feel like my body is actually totally fine,” she said.
Still, it’s a tough break for Schlachtenhaufen, 30, who came into the race feeling ready to roll. In June, she ran the second-fastest 1500 meters of her career, finishing in 4:00.69 at the Palio Città della Quercia in Italy, and in her preliminary round at USAs on Thursday, she qualified for final comfortably. She was one of only five women in the final to have achieved the World Championships standard of 4:01.50.
Schlachtenhaufen has been a steady presence on the national level in recent years, finishing in the top eight of the 1500 at the last four U.S. Championships. In 2021, she placed fifth at the Olympic Trials—two spots away from qualifying for the Tokyo Games.
This summer, Schlachtenhaufen spent time training in Flagstaff, Arizona, with 2021 Olympian Heather MacLean and Nikki Hiltz—who would go on to win Saturday’s race—so Schlachtenhaufen was optimistic about her chances in the final.
“I feel like going into this race, I felt probably the most confident I have in a while,” she said. “That’s part of why it stings so much.”
Schlachtenhaufen’s season is not over though. She’ll head to Europe later this month and race another 1500 at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial, a World Athletics gold meet in Budapest, where she’ll hope to capitalize on her fitness.
“Disappointing as this was—not obviously the way I saw the race playing out—I feel like I’m fit and healthy still, so I’m excited to keep using that in Europe,” she said.
Find the Perfect Training Plan for You
Fred Kerley Provisionally Suspended
Recommended Experience: Published: Aug 02, 2025 9:49 PM EDT.
Fred Kerley Provisionally Suspended
Recommended Experience: Just .001 Seconds Separate Third and Fourth in 200 Meters.
Fred Kerley Provisionally Suspended
Recommended Experience: For a new runner who has been exercising regularly for at least a year, or someone who has completed a few 5Ks or 10Ks and can complete 6 miles in one workout. This plan peaks at 28 miles in a week with a 12-mile long run.
Fred Kerley Provisionally Suspended
Recommended Experience: For runners comfortable exercising for at least an hour at a moderate effort. This plan peaks at 32 miles in a week with a 14-mile long run.
Fred Kerley Provisionally Suspended
Recommended Experience: For a consistent runner used to regularly working out four to five times a week. The plan starts with a 10-mile long run and peaks at 44 to 47 miles a week with a 22-mile long run, helping you average under a 9:10 per mile come race day.
Theo Kahler is the news editor at Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University, and he received his master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of one of the top distance-running teams in the NCAA. Kahler has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K, 1:05:36 in the half marathon, and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)
